Issue 149

Winter & Spring 2016

With Issue 149 we welcome our new video editor, Kristen Radtke, who introduces a trio of videos exploring the spaces between public and private. In these pieces, homes and lives are both haunted and haunting, as domestic, artistic, and personal histories are reviewed, interrogated, and restored. José Orduña details the intimate history of a house, yet denies all claims to either dwelling or memories; Margaret Singer and Max Freeman witness Steve Martin's attempt to revive an artist's reputation after years spent in his partner's shadow; and Sarah Viren meditates on the conception, birth, and existence of a child, and points along the continuum.

The poetry, fiction, and nonfiction here also move between past and present, charting journeys both actual and emotional. From Elliot Ackerman's expat in Istanbul to Monica Sok's deracinated daughter visiting Angkor Wat, to Karen Brown's refuge for tired travelers, to Craig Bernardini's mother's sacrifice in Argentina, you'll find characters seeking to restablish and redefine family and home.

In her introduction, Kristen refers to "the exact point of greatest anticipation and possibility." It is at this point that we present this issue and invite you to join the many journeys here.

Cheers,
Noelle Havens

Managing Editor: Noelle Havens
Assistant Managing Editor: Dane Hamann
Faculty Advisor: Susan Harris
Director of Planning: Reginald Gibbons
Film Editor: Kristen Radtke
Fiction Editors: Adrienne Gunn, Carrie Muehle, Ankur Thakkar, Stephanie Tran
Nonfiction Editor: Martha Holloway
Poetry Editor: Dane Hamann
Social Media Editor: Ankur Thakkar
Copy Editor: Lys Ann Weiss
Media Architect: Harlan Wallach
Technical Advisors: Alex Miner, Rodolfo Vieira, Nick Gertonson

Staff: Ahsan Awan, Emily Barton, Jen Companik, Aaron DeLee, Jesse Eagle, Jeshua Enriquez, Dan Fliegel, Andrea Garcia, Ish Harris-Wolff, Katie Hartsock, Alex Higley, Barbara Tsai Jones, Katharine Kruse, Jen Lawrence, Adam Lizakowski, Robin Morrissey, Marina Mularz, Troy Parks, Lydia Pudzianowski, Nate Renie, Mark Rentfro, Paula Root, Caitlin Sellnow, Michi Smith, Megan Sullivan, Adam Talaski, Myra Thompson, Ted Wesenberg

Image from This is Not My Home

Elliot Ackerman 1/15/16 Elliot Ackerman 1/15/16

The Sunbathers

At fifty-two years old, Julian Swenson died on the roadside in his swim trunks. Traffic passed by without interruption along the four lanes of Cevdet Paşa Cadessi, which shouldered the Bosphorus, running through Istanbul’s posh Bebek quarter.

Peter Orner 1/15/16 Peter Orner 1/15/16

Pies

It had begun to rain. She’d gone with him to visit his son and the son’s girlfriend. He’d wanted her to meet his son. It was late.

Karen Brown 1/15/16 Karen Brown 1/15/16

Amnesiacs

She was in charge of preparing the beds for the new arrivals. Her arms were full of the sheets, bright white in the sun’s glare off the water. It was May, and the windows had been thrown open, and the air whipped up the curtains, covered the grand old furniture with salt.

Abby Geni 1/15/16 Abby Geni 1/15/16

Childish

I have fallen in love with a willow tree. I first saw it a week ago, on a golden, dusty afternoon. You and I were out for our daily constitutional. You move with a walker these days, tennis balls affixed to the bottom.

Leigh Camacho Rourks 1/15/16 Leigh Camacho Rourks 1/15/16

Shallowing

Caro swung the muzzle of the shotgun up and trained the barrel on a dove. From the doorway of the sagging porch, she could see several pairs in trees on both sides of the bayou, but she kept her focus tight. She didn’t pull the trigger.